Piece-end sewing machine



Dec. 4, 1934;. 4 F. WEBB PI'ficE "END SEWING MACHINE Filed July 1, 1933 5 Sheets-Sheet v 1 [rvirfyFh kbb WWwoaa- Bee. 4, 1934. F. WEBB 1,983,258

PIECE END SEWING MACHINE Filed July 1, 1933 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 [ruby]? M255 W W Dec. 4, 1934. F WEBB PIECE END SEWYING'MACHINE Filed July 1, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 PIECE END SEWING MACHINE Filed July 1, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 3mm [r0613 1 "(ebb 351 m Snow;

1934- I. F. WEBB PIECE END SEWING MACHINE Filed July 1, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Dec. 4, 1934 PIECE-END SEWING MACHINE Irving F. Webb, Elizabeth, N. J., assignor to The Singer Manufacturing Company, Elizabeth, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application July 1, 1933, Serial No. 678,562

Claims.

This invention relates to sewing machines of the railway type adapted for sewing together the ends of long lengths of material preparatory to material processing operations, such as practiced in various textile and similar industries,

which operations involve the passage of the material over more or less intricate systems of guide rollersmaking it necessary that the various pieces or lengths of material to be processed be joined together end-to-end so that their passage over the various guide rollers of theprocessing machinery may be expedited without damage to the faces of the rolls or to the material itself.

The present invention has for an object to provide a piece-end sewing machine of the railway type which is of simplified construction and which is so constructed and arranged as to avoid interference with and facilitate the handling of the heavy rolls of material presented for the joining of their starting 1 ends to the trailing ends of previouslypresented and unwound rolls.

With the above and other objects in view, as will hereinafter appear, the invention comprises the devices, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafterset forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawings of a preferred embodiment of the invention, from which the several features of the invention and the advantages attained thereby will be readily understood by those skilled in the art. n

In the accompanying drawings, Fig; 1 isan end elevation of a railway sewing machine embodying thelinvention. Fig. Zisa front elevation of the machine. Fig. 3 is a similar view on anenlarged scale. Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of the machine on the same scale as Fig. 3. Fig; 5 isa' top plan View of the machine. Fig. dis a section on the line 66, Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a fragmentary section on the line '7--7, Fig. 4. Fig. 8 is asection on the line 8-8, Fig. 4, and Fig. 9is an elevation of the sewing machine feeding mechanism.

In the preferred embodimentof the invention, as illustrated, a pair of similar standards 1, rising from the floor 2, carry guide rollers 3 over and under which the fabric '4 to be processed is drawn inthe usual manner. Mounted on and projecting forwardly from the spacedstandards .1 are the parallel horizontal rails 5 of L-section supported at their forward ends by the rear-- "Singer Class plate 22,and edge-trimming knife 23.

connected by spacers 9 and cross-braces 10, and

strengthened against sagging by underslung truss-rods 11. Guard-rails 12 extending over the wheels 7 and into the grooves of the latter are preferably provided to prevent the possibility of the wheels '7 of the bridge leaving the rails 5. The guard-rails 12 are secured at their rearward ends to the respective standards 1 and are curved downwardly at their forward'ends and secured to the respective rails 5. i i

Adapted to freely run along the parallel, horizontal bridge rails 8 is the sewing machine carriage 13, the grooved wheels 14 of which are journaled on ball-bearings 15, Fig. 4, and rest upon the rails 8. The carriage 13 has mounted thereon a sewing machine A; preferably of the well known 81--24 single-thread overedge stitchingtype. The presentsewing machine has a main-shaft 16 carrying the tight and loose belt-pulleys 1'7, 18, respectively. The sewing machine also has theusualj upper reciprocating needle 19,- Fig. 3, non threaded overcdge looper 19, presser-foot 20, four-motion feed-dog 21,c1oth An electric motor M for driving the sewing machine is also mounted on the carriage 13 and has its driving pulley 24 connected to the pulleys 17, 18 of the sewing machine by means of. the belt 25.

Fulcrumed on the screw 26, Figs.4 and '7, fast to the car 27 on the carriage 13 is the belt-shipper lever 28 carrying at its rearward end the spaced upstanding belt-guidingpins 29and bent upwardly at its forward end to constitute a handle 30. Screwed to and depending from the beltshipper lever 28 is a bracket 31 carrying a vertically slidable and downwardly spring-pressed plunger 32 the lower end of which is beveled as shown at 33, Fig. 4. r A spring 34 connects the bracket 31 with the carriage 13. This spring constantly urges the belt-shipper lever in a direction to shift the belt 25 onto the loose pulley 18 and stop the operation of the sewing machine.

When the belt-shipper lever 28 is manually shifted from full line or off position, Fig. 5, to 100 dotted line or running position, to start the sewing machine, it is retained in running position by the shou1der 35 of the latch-lever 35 which is fulcrumed on the screw 36 on an ear 37, Fig. 4, of the carriage 13. The tail 35" of 105 w the latch-lever 35 is bent up sidewise and stands at an inclination to the vertical, as shown in Fig. 4. The tail of the latch-lever 35 is relatively ,heavy and tends to drop under the influence of gravity and raise the shoulder 35' to locking or 110 full-line position, Fig. 8, when the belt-shipper lever 28 is manually shifted to running position.

There is preferably clamped upon one of the bridge rails 8, near the end of the bridge from which the sewing starts, a slotted block 38 from which rises a stop-pin 39 in the path of travelling movement of the spring-pressed plunger 32 carried by the belt-shipper lever 28. The purpose of this stop is to aid the operator in positioning the sewing machine A and its carriage 13 in starting position, preparatory to a sewing operation. The work to be stitched is then man ually introduced under the presser-foct 20 and the belt-shipper lever 28 is shifted to running position. This shift of the belt-shipper lever carries the spring-pressed plunger 32 to one side of the stop-pin 39, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. '7, and frees the carriage 13 from the stop-pin.

There is also preferably secured to the same rail 8 which supports the stop 39 a second slotted block 10 carrying a stop-pin 41 and a tripper 42 the'rounded upper end 43 of which is in the path of travelling movement of the tail of the latch 35 and shifts the latch to dotted line position, Fig. 8, at the end of a sewing operation to stop the machine; the stop-pin 41 being engaged by the spring-pressed plunger 33 and preventing overrunning or coasting of the carriage 13 materially beyond seam-finishing position. The stop-blocks 38 and 40 are adjustable longitudinally of their supporting rail 8 to suit the width of the particular fabric ends to be stitched together. Of course, the latch 35 may be tripped by hand if it is not desired to use the automatic tripper 42.

The feeding mechanism of the sewing machine is of known construction and includes the feedbar 44, Fig. 9, which is pivotally mounted at 45 on the feed-rocker 46 and is connected by the short-pitman 47 to the feed-lift eccentric 48.

.The feed-advance eccentric. 49 is connected by the pitman 50 to the bell-crank lever 51, 52, fulcrumed at 53 on the machine frame. The arm 52 of thebell-crank lever is provided with a curved and undercut slot or guideway'54 for a slide-block 55 connected to the lower end of a link56, the upper end of which is connected at 5'? to an arm 58 of the feed-rocker 46.

In the present instance there is provided a manually operable device, closely associated with the handle 30 of the belt-shipper lever 28, enabling the operator to conveniently shorten the initial stitches made by the machine. To'this end the slide-block 55 is connected by a short link. 59 to one end 60 of a slide-rod 61 mounted in a guide-lug 62 secured to the frameof the sewing machine A and having a handle 63 rising from its other end. The starting handle 30 and the feed-shortening handle 63 are both within the simultaneous grasp of one of the operators hands. In starting the machine, the operator graps the handles 30 and 63 simultaneously and shifts the handle 36 to dotted line position, Fig. 5; at the same time shifting the handle 63 toward the handle 30 to start the sewing machine with a short stitch. After the sewing has progressed the desired distance, say an inch or two, thehandles are released and the recovery spring 64, surrounding the slide-rod 61, Fig; 9, returns the slide-rod 61 and slide-block 55 to initial position, restoring the stitch-length adjustment to its original position for the normal sewing of the seam. As the seam is nearing completion the handle 63v may again be readily manipulatedto shorten: the stitch for the lastinch or two of the seam. While provision is thusmade for starting and finishing the seam with a short stitch, it is to be understood that this need only be done in case the particular material being stitched requires it. The seam may be as readily sewn with a uniform stitch-length throughout; the machine being instantly responsive to the will of the operator in this respect.

The two ends of material to be stitched together'are brought up in front of the bridge rails 8, as shown in Fig. 1 and impaled in overlapping relation upon the pins 65 carried by blocks 66 mounted on and adjustable longitudinally of the horizontal bar 67 carried by posts 68 rising from the front bridge-rail 8. As best shown in Fig. 6, the impaling pins 65 carried by each block 66 rise from a horizontal arm 69 secured at one end to the block and closely overhanging the sewing machine cloth-plate 22. Sheet-metal guards '70 overhang the impaling pins 65, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

The incoming length of material may be in the form of a heavy roll '71, Fig. 1, on a shaft 72 resting upon suitable supporting means '73 rising from the floor 2. It is desirable that these heavy rolls '71 be handled by means of a crane and deposited vertically upon the supporting means 73 in unreeling position. To clear the vertical space above the supporting means 73 for the in coming roll '71, the entire bridge structure B carried by the wheels '7 may be readily shifted to dotted line position, Fig. 1, where it will not interfere with the convenient handling of the incoming roll. After the roll has been deposited in unreeling position, the bridge structure may be pulled forwardly to sewing position wherein the sewing machine and its controls, as well as the material-end supporting and positioning devices are within the convenient reach of an operator stationed in front of the roll '71.

The sewing machine A is preferably adjusted to sew a loose stitch so that the initially overlapping edges of material may be opened out and drawn down into a common plane, as will be readily understood by those familiar with the operation of an overedge sewing machine.

The motor M may be started and stopped by manipulation of a conventional toggle-switch S mounted on the carriage 13 and wired in circuit with the motor and its current supply cord L suitably supported from above.

It is to be understood that the action of the sewing machine four-motion feeding mechanism upon the material propels the carriage 13 along the bridge B.

After asewing operation is completed the sewing machine is returned manually to its starting position; the inclined end 33 of the springpressed plunger 32 riding over the top of the stop-pin 39. The joined ends of material are removed from the impaling pins 65 and the fabric unreeling mechanism is started; the sewing machine and its supporting bridge being pushed over to dotted line position, Fig. l, where it is out of the way of the next incoming roll of material to be dropped by a crane into the usual supporting means '73.

The invention is not to be understood as limited to the specific embodiment thereof chosen for the purposes of the present disclosure.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim herein is:

1. The combination with a system of parallel fabric unreeling guide rollers and means for supporting the incoming piece of material to be processed, of a bridge-member supported at its opposite ends only above said material supporting means, a pair of parallel rails extending lengthwise of said bridge-member, a free wheeled. carriage mounted to run on said rails, a sewing machine and a driving motor mounted on said carriage, saidsewing machine having stitch-forming and work-feeding mechanisms and being otherwise free atall times to run along said rails, and manually controlled means on said carriage for establishing and interrupting driving relation between the driving motor and the sewing machine.

2. The combination with a motor driven sewing machine having stitch-forming mechanism including a reciprocating needle and feeding mechanism including a work-engaging feeding member, of a free-wheeled carriage supporting said sewing machine for movement in the direction of feed thereof, a bridge member having a trackway extending longitudinally thereof for said wheeled carriage, and means at the opposite endstof said bridge member for supporting the latter for bodily movement transversely of its length.

3. The combination with fabric unreeling guide rolls, of supporting means at the opposite ends of said guide rolls, a bridge carried at its opposite ends by said supporting means, a railway extending lengthwise of said bridge, a wheeled carriage mounted to run freely back and forth along said railway, and a motor-driven sewing machine mounted on said carriage and including stitch-forming and work-feeding mechanisms arranged to operate in the direction of length of said I bridge.

4. The combination with fabric unreeling guide rolls and supporting means at the opposite ends of such rolls, of a bridge member parallel to said rolls, a railway running lengthwise of said bridge member, a wheeled carriage on said railway, a motor driven sewing machine including stitchforming and work-feeding mechanisms and a cloth-plate, said sewing machine being mounted on said carriage with the line of feed of the machine parallel to said railway, a fabric-supporting rail mounted on said bridge member and extending lengthwise of the latter, and fabric impaling pins mounted on said fabric-supporting rail and overhanging the path of travel of said cloth-plate.

5. The combination with fabric unreeling guide rolls and supporting means at the opposite ends of such rolls, of a bridge member parallel to said rolls, a railway running lengthwise of said bridge member, a wheeled carriage on said railway, a motor driven sewing machine including stitchforming and work-feeding mechanisms and a cloth-plate, said sewing machine being mounted on said carriage with the line of feed of the machine parallel to said railway, a fabric-supporting rail mounted on said bridge member and extending lengthwise of the latter, blocks mounted on and adjustable longitudinally of said fabricsupporting rail, and fabric impaling pins mountrolls, a railway running lengthwise of said bridge member, a wheeled carriage on said railway, a motor driven sewing machine including stitch forming and work-feeding mechanisms and a cloth-plate, said sewing machine being mounted on said carriage with the line of feed of the machine parallel to said railway, a fabric-supporting rail mounted on said bridge member and extending lengthwise of the latter, blocks mounted on and adjustable longitudinally of said fabric-supporting rail, fabric impaling pins mounted on said blocks, and guards mounted on said blocks and overhanging said impaling pins.

7. In a railway sewing machine, the combination with a railway and a wheeled carriage mounted thereon, of a motor driven sewing machine mounted on said carriage and including stitchforming and work-feeding mechanisms, feed-adjusting means including a feed-controlling handle travelling with said carriage, and means for starting and stopping the sewing machine including a startand stop-control handle travelling with said carriage, said handles being juxtaposed for simultaneous operation by one of the operators hands.

8. In a railway sewing machine, the combination with a railway and a wheeled carriage mounted thereon, of a sewing machine mounted on said carriage and including stitch-forming and work-feeding mechanisms, a main-shaft, and tight and loose belt-pulleys on said main-shaft, a motor on said carriage, a belt connecting said motor to said pulleys, a manually operated beltshipper mounted on said carriage, and feedchanging means within reach of the operators hand for manipulation simultaneously with the belt-shipper.

9. In a railway sewing machine, the combination with a railway and a wheeled carriage mounted thereon, of a sewing machine mounted on said carriage and including stitch-forming and work-feeding mechanisms, a main-shaft, and tight and loose belt-pulleys on said main-shaft, a motor on said carriage, a belt connecting said motor to said pulleys, a manually operated spring returned belt-shipper mounted on said carriage, a latch for holding said belt-shipper in machine driving position, and means on said railway for automatically tripping said latch.

10. In combination, means for supporting a roll of fabric to be unreeled, fabric unreeling guide rollers, supporting means at the opposite ends of said guide rollers, a bridge member disposed above and extending lengthwise the axis of the roll of fabric to be unreeled and having a railway running lengthwise thereof, a wheeled carriage free on said railway, a motor driven sewing machine on said carriage and including stitchforming and work-feeding mechanisms, and means at the opposite ends of said bridge member for supporting the latter, said means including rails disposed transverse to the direction of length of the bridge member and along which the bridge member may be shifted sidewise to clear the space directly above the space to be occupied by an incoming roll of fabric to be unreeled.

IRVING F. WEBB. 

